During the Covid lockdowns, Cormac Mac Diarmada of Lankum and his partner Ruth Clinton of Irish vocal quartet Landless formed a new group, Poor Creature, who released their first track in 2023 on a Lankum-curated compilation for Uncut Magazine.

Now expanded to a trio with drummer John Dermody, who also joined Lankum's live band in 2023, the band have today shared details of their debut album, All Smiles Tonight, together with lead single "The Whole Town Knows".

Originally by Irish country music stars Ray Lynam and Philomena Begley, the 7-minute track is utterly transformed, both sonically and in meaning. No longer about infidelity, its line about not being able to go on living and cheating this way is intended by the band as "a metaphor for the climate crisis and the general destruction of the planet."

Watch the video, directed by Clinton and MacDiarmada, below:

Recorded with Lankum and Landless producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy, All Smiles Tonight drops on 11 July via Rough Trade sister label River Lea. Pre-order it here.

All Smiles Tonight tracklist:

1. Adieu Lovely Eireann
2. Bury Me Not
3. The Whole Town Knows
4. Loreen
5.  An Draighneán Donn
6. All Smiles Tonight
7. Hicks’ Farewell
8. Willie-O

Poor Creature play a headline show in Dublin later this week, and will celebrate the release of All Smiles Tonight with Rough Trade East instore in London on 14 July. All upcoming dates below:

04/11 Dublin, IE @ Whelans
07/14 London, UK @ Rough Trade East
08/31 Birmingham, UK @ Supersonic Festival
09/20 London, UK @ Royal Festival Hall

* supporting Lisa O’Neill

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